**2. Materials and methods: research methodology**

In this chapter, documentary research was carried out to compile and analyze the main available official data regarding the goat sector in Spain. The main sources of information came from official statistical databases (the Spanish government's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations database (FAOSTAT)). Also, technical reports from various journals and research from scientific articles and books were reviewed, as well as data generated by the authors from their professional careers and own experience.
